The cathedral dedicated to San Zeno with its 70-metre high bell tower and the octagonal Baptistery, and much more!

It is right at the centre of the so-called "city of enchanted stone", the place the Romans had chosen as "domus" and "forum", that tourists can admire Pistoia`s main monuments.

The present duomo of Pistoia - that is, the cathedral of San Zeno - dates back to the 14th century, but under its high altar lurk the remains of a church predating the 11th century. Particularly interesting are the frescoes by Passignano and the altar dedicated to San Iacopo, a silver altar realized between the 13th and 15th centuries, considered a masterpiece of Gothic architecture.

The bell tower has a peculiar history: in fact, it was built incorporating the ruins of an ancient Langobard military tower.

The last monument in the square is the Baptistery of San Giovanni in Corte. The unmistakable octagonal building faced with white and green marble panels was probably built over a pre-existing building of worship, as demonstrates the baptismal font by Lanfranco da Como, which is about a hundred years older than the Baptistery.

Among the traditional Tuscan two- or three-storey buildings that open onto Pistoia`s main square stand Palazzo Pretorio, where the table of justice and the dock are still to be seen, and Palazzo dei Vescovi, where Frederick Barbarossa stayed for some time.